U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,288 issued 04 Feb. 1997 to Shirley et al. and entitled "External Ligament System" discloses a lightweight flexible knee brace in which a pair of cables secured at the back of the wearer's leg extend in criss-cross fashion across the front of the thigh and calf just above and below the knee. A significant part of the brace's action in supporting the knee and its ligaments is the pressure exerted on the front of the thigh and calf by pressure pads that are pressed against the thigh and calf by the cables at the laterally centered points where the cables cross.
It has now been found that the laterally central location of the pressure pads is not necessarily the ideal therapeutic location. The pain associated with osteoarthritis can in many cases be reduced or eliminated by providing a lateral force on the bone of the leg. For some individuals, pressure is best applied somewhat to the right of center, for others somewhat to the left. The brace of U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,288 does not, however, lend itself to lateral load adjustments.